Person Page - 4129

Captain James Gray¹

• Birth*: 1731; Scotland; Date 1731 per Memorial - age 64 at death May 11 1795. Date c. 1725 & location Scotland per family tree of Grc08 on ancestry.ca, Jan 14 2019. per family tree of reidml47 on ancestry.ca, Jan 12 2019.¹
• Marriage*: 1763; New York, U.S.A.; "In 1763 Elizabeth Low, another daughter of John Low, married James Gray, who had been a captain in the 42nd Regiment (the Black Watch), and had sold out after the taking of Havana, in the Island of Cuba, in 1762. Whether Lavine and her daughter Dorine, or Dorine alone, was given to Mrs. Gray by her father, is not distinctly known, but it was known that Dorine was the property of the Grays, and that when the breaking up of families began in 1776, Captain Gray and his wife, and their nephew and nieces, Jacob Farrand and Hannah and Catherine Farrand (children of Dr. and Mrs. Margaret Farrand), came to Canada, and brought with them Dorine, then in her seventeenth year.
  (Lunenburgh, or the Old Eastern District, page 318 & 319, Chapter XXXVI - John Baker, the last of those who were born in slavery in Canada.) per family tree of reidml47 on ancestry.ca, Jan 12 2019.; Principal=Elizabeth Low¹
• Death*: 11 May 1795; Gray's Creek, Stormont Co., Upper Canada; "On leaving New York, the Grays had taken their three slaves with them. These slaves, Dorinda Baker and her two sons, Simon and John, became the property of Robert on the death of his father." Speedy Justice, pg. 85 Date May 11 1795 & location Stormont Co. per family tree of Grc08 on ancestry.ca, Jan 14 2019.^2,1
• Burial*: 13 May 1795; English Church Cemetery, Cornwall, Stormont Co., Upper Canada; "In the Cornwall graveyard, connected with the English Church, is the family tomb of the Grays and their connections. This is " piece of land about 20 feet square, surrounded by a stone fence. On a wooden slab, erected against this on the outside, the following inscription was visible in and may no doubt,
  still be seen: "Herein are interred Colonel James Gray, died 11th May, 1795, aged 64; Mrs. Elizabeth Gray, died 14th February, 1800; aged 63; Jacob Farrand, Esq., died 11th May, 1803, aged 29 years and 6 months; And John T. Farrand, Esq., died 29th June, 1814, aged 30 years and 1 months; This memorial is erected by Cath. Valentine."" Osgoode Hall Reminiscences, pg. 132

• Note: 1762; New York, U.S.A.; His father, James Gray, a Highlander, was a captain in the "Black Watch," the 42nd Regiment, and retiring after the British took Havana in 1762, he lived for a time in New York State, ... " Osgoode Hall: Reminiscences page 130
• Residence: 1776; Quebec; " ... and that when the breaking up of families began in 1776, Captain Gray and his wife, and their nephew and nieces, Jacob Farrand and Hannah and Catherine Farrand (children of Dr. and Mrs. Margaret Farrand), came to Canada, and brought with them Dorine, then in her seventeenth year." (Lunenburgh, or the Old Eastern District, page 318 & 319, Chapter XXXVI - John Baker, the last of those who were born in slavery in Canada.)
• Note*: 1776; Quebec; "At the outbreak of the American revolution the Gray family fled to the province of Quebec where James Gray was appointed major in the 1st battalion of Sir John Johnson*’s King’s Royal Regiment of New York." from Dictionary of Canadian Biography - Robert Isaac Dey Grray - http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gray_robert_isaac_dey_5E.html³
• Note: 1783; Gray's Creek, Stormont Co., Quebec; "On leaving New York, the Grays had taken their three slaves with them. These slaves, Dorinda Baker and her two sons, Simon and John, became the property of Robert on the death of his father. Robert Gray was a benevolent slaveowner, as demonstrated by the following event a few months before the sinking of the Speedy. While on a visit to New York Gray wrote to his sister:
  I saw some of our old friends while in the States, none was I more happy to meet than Lavine, Dorin's mother. Just as I was leaving Albany I heard from our cousin, Mrs. Garret Stadts, who is living in Albany in obscurity and indigence owing to her husband being a drunken idle fellow, that Lavine was living in a tavern with a man of the name of Broomly. I immediately employed a friend of mine, Mr. Ramsay, of Albany, to negotiate with the man for the purchase of her. He did so by stating that I wished to buy her freedom, in consequence of which the man readily complied with my wishes, and although he declared she was worth to him 100 pounds (ie $250) he gave her to me for $50 dollars. When I saw her she was overjoyed and appeared as happy as any person could be, at the idea of seeing her child Dorin, and her children once more, with whom if Dorin wishes it, she will willingly spend the remainder of her days. I could not avoid doing this act, the opportunity seemed to have been thrown in my way by Providence, and I could not resist it. She is a good servant yet, healthy and strong and among you you may find her useful. I have promised her that she may work as much or as little as she pleases while she lives - but from the character I have of her idleness is not her pleasure ... I saw old Cato, La vine's father at Newark while I was at Colonel Ogden's; he is living with Mrs. Governeur - he is well taken care of and blind - poor fellow came to feel me for he could not see, he asked affectionately after the family.'" Speedy Justice, pg. 84 & 85²
• Residence*: 1783; Gray's Creek, Glengarry Co., Quebec; 'At the end of the war Gray received land and took up residence just east of the loyalist settlement of New Johnstown (Cornwall, Ont.)." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gray_robert_isaac_dey_5E.html³
• Residence: 14 October 1784; Williamsburgh Twp., Lunenburg Dist., Quebec; "Return of Disbanded Troops and Loyalists settled in Township No. 4 (Williamsburgh) Mustered this 14th October 1784; Index: (Top line) B461; Name: Major Gray; Men: 1; Total: 1; Remarks: In Canada" per family tree of Grc08 on ancestry.ca, Jan 14 2019.
  Note: Quit likely that the family was still in Quebec in late 1784 and they would come down to Gray's Creek in the next year.¹
• Note: circa 1788; Gray's Creek, Stormont Co., Quebec; "Young Gray benefited from the prominence of his father, who had been appointed lieutenant of the county of Stormont by Lieutenant Governor SIMCOE." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gray_robert_isaac_dey_5E.html³

Robert Isaac Dey Gray¹

• Father*: Captain James Gray¹ b. 1731, d. 11 May 1795
• Mother*: Elizabeth Low¹ b. 26 Sep 1736, d. 14 Feb 1800

• Birth*: 1772; Albany Co., New York, U.S.A.; Date 1772 & location Albany Co., NY per family tree of reidml47 on ancestry.ca, Jan 12 2019. "GRAY (Grey), ROBERT ISAAC DEY, office holder, lawyer, judge, and politician; b. c. 1772, probably in New York, son of James Gray and Elizabeth Low; d. unmarried 7 or 8 Oct. 1804 in the wreck of the Speedy on Lake
  Ontario." per Dictionary of Canadian Biogrphy, Robert Isaac Dey Gray (Grey) - http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gray_robert_isaac_dey_5E.html^1,2
• Death*: 8 October 1804; Lake Ontario, Newcastle, Newcastle Dist., Upper Canada; Date Oct 7 1804 & location Presqu'ile, UC per family tree of reidml47 on ancestry.ca, Jan 12 2019.¹

• Residence: 1776; Quebec; " ... and that when the breaking up of families began in 1776, Captain Gray and his wife, and their nephew and nieces, Jacob Farrand and Hannah and Catherine Farrand (children of Dr. and Mrs. Margaret Farrand), came to Canada, and brought with them Dorine, then in her seventeenth year." (Lunenburgh, or the Old Eastern District, page 318 & 319, Chapter XXXVI - John Baker, the last of those who were born in slavery in Canada.)
• Residence*: 1783; Gray's Creek, Glengarry Co., Quebec; "At the outbreak of the American revolution the Gray family fled to the province of Quebec where James Gray was appointed major in the 1st battalion of Sir John Johnson*’s King’s Royal Regiment of New York. At the end of the war Gray received land and took up residence just east of the loyalist settlement of New Johnstown (Cornwall, Ont.). Robert Isaac Dey Gray received his early education and acquired an interest in law at Quebec, probably under the tutelage of his godfather Isaac Ogden." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gray_robert_isaac_dey_5E.html²
• Note: 1786; House of Assembly, Stormont Co., Upper Canada; "It was usual in Upper Canada for both the solicitor and the attorney general to hold seats in the House of Assembly and act as administration spokesmen. Gray was no exception. He was elected for the riding of Stormont in the election of 1796 and to the new riding of Stormont and Russell in 1800 and 1804." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gray_robert_isaac_dey_5E.html²
• Residence: 5 September 1793; Eastern Dist., Upper Canada; "Young Gray benefited from the prominence of his father, who had been appointed lieutenant of the county of Stormont by Lieutenant Governor SIMCOE. On 5 Sept. 1793 Gray became surrogate court registrar for the Eastern District, .." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gray_robert_isaac_dey_5E.html²
• Note*: May 1795; "The following month Simcoe recommended him for the vacant office of solicitor general “not only on his Father’s merits” but to enable him to further his education in England “and by these means acquire the habits and character of the English Bar.” The Duke of Portland, the Home secretary, approved Simcoe’s choice in May 1795 but wondered whether “the present state of the Province required both an Attorney and Solicitor General.”
• Residence: 7 June 1796; Home Dist., Upper Canada; " ... serving until his appointment as district court judge for the Home District on 7 June 1796. Along with 15 others he was called to the bar in October 1794 by an act of the legislature." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gray_robert_isaac_dey_5E.html²
• Residence: 21 March 1797; North Side of Wellington St., York, York Co., Upper Canada; "He became Solicitor-General March 21, 1797, and lived then on the north side of Wellington Street, Toronto. In his family Mr. Gray had a coloured slave woman, Dorinda Baker, and her children, among whom were John and Simon." Osgood Hall: Reminiscense, pg 130
• Note: 1798; House of Assembly, Stormont Co., Upper Canada; "Although a slave-holder himself, in 1798 he was among the minority that opposed Christopher Robinson*’s bill extending slavery within the province." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gray_robert_isaac_dey_5E.html²
• Note: 1798; Conc 2 Lot 11, Whitby Twp., York Co., Upper Canada; "It may be a matter of surprise and of some historic interest to know that at least 200 acres of this land, the N. W. Ward, was once the property of an actual slave. It will be observed that the Crown granted this farm in 1798 to Elizabeth Gray, the mother of R. S. D. Gray, Attorney General of Upper Canada, who was drowned on the ill-fated boat " Speedy" about 1804. A copy of his will, dated 1803, reads as follows: ''I feel it a duty incumbent on me, in consequence of the long and faithful services of Dorinda, my black woman servant, rendered to my family, to release, manumit and discharge her from the state of slavery in which she now is, and to give her and all her children their freedom. My will therefore is that she be released, and I hereby accordingly release, manumit and discharge the said Dorinda, my black woman servant, and all and every one of her said children, both male and female, from slavery, and declare them and every one of them to be free. And in order that provision may be made for the support of the said Dorinda and her children, and that she may not want after my decease, my will is, and I hereby empower my executors out of my real estate to raise the sum of twelve hundred pounds currency, and place the same in some solvent and secure fund, and the interest accruing from the same, I give and bequeath to the said Dorinda, her heirs and assigns forever, to be paid annually." Historical Sketches of Oshawa by Kaiser, Page 30
  List of Land pg. 32 "Lot No. 11, 2nd Concession, E. Whitby (Now Ward No. 3, N. Ward); Date: 1798; Grantor: The Crown; Grantee: Elizabeth Gray; mother of R. S. D. Gray, drowned on Speedy; Acres: 200 (Historical Sketches of Oshawa by Kaiser, Page 32)
• Residence: 1798; Upper Canada; "Gray became a barrister in Trinity term 1797 and served as treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada from 1798 to 1801." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gray_robert_isaac_dey_5E.html²
• Note: 1799; House of Assembly, Stormont Co., Upper Canada; "The following year he voted with the majority defeating a bill to allow Methodists the right to solemnize marriage." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gray_robert_isaac_dey_5E.html²
• Note: 1800; Acting Attorney General, York, York Co., Upper Canada; "When Attorney General John White* was killed in 1800, Gray temporarily assumed the duties of that office until the arrival of Thomas Scott* in 1801." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gray_robert_isaac_dey_5E.html²
• Note: 1800; House of Assembly, Stormont Co., Upper Canada; "It was usual in Upper Canada for both the solicitor and the attorney general to hold seats in the House of Assembly and act as administration spokesmen. Gray was no exception. He was elected for the riding of Stormont in the election of 1796 and to the new riding of Stormont and Russell in 1800 and 1804." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gray_robert_isaac_dey_5E.html²
• Note: 1801; Solicitor General, York, York Co., Upper Canada; "As solicitor general Gray often represented the crown in criminal cases across the province." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gray_robert_isaac_dey_5E.html
  Note: Does not say when he was appointed Solicitor General, but assuming it was after being Acting Attorney General in 1801.²
• Note: circa 1803; ""Young Gray was," John Baker said, "the only child of the Colonel, and went to Parliament several years running. The Colonel was strict and sharp, put deerskin shirts and jackets on me and gave me many good whippings. Simon was older than me and was Solisarv (sic) Gray's body-servant. I lived two years in Toronto, or little York, in a large white house north of the boat landing. The people were proud and grand then. Simon was dressed finer than his master, with a beaver hat and gold watch." Osgoode Reminiscences, pg. 131, the speaker is John Baker, in 1868, the brother of Simon Baker, Robert Gray's servant who perished with him on the Speedy.
• Note: 1803; House of Assembly, Stormont Co., Upper Canada; "In 1800 he was among the eastern members who opposed Samuel STREET’s election as speaker and the next year cast his vote against Surveyor General David William Smith*’s election to the speakership. Gray led the resistance to Macdonell’s contempt proceedings in 1803 against the clerk of the crown and pleas, David Burns, yet during the same session he supported Macdonell’s Assessment Bill." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gray_robert_isaac_dey_5E.html²
• Note: 27 August 1803; York, York Co., Upper Canada; "By his will, made August 27th, 1803, the Solicitor-General manumits his "faithful black servant Dorinda," and gives her and her children their freedom. He left to John and Simon each two hundred acres of land and made provision for the maintenance of the family." Osgoode Hall: Reminiscense, pg. 130
• Note: circa 1804; York, York Co., Upper Canada; "He regularly served as the assembly’s liaison with the Legislative Council and consistently resisted the assembly’s attempts to curtail or limit the prerogatives of the lieutenant governor. He initiated several pieces of legislation usually concerning the reform of law and its administration and took a particular interest in the regulation of inland trade and designation of ports of entry [see Colin MCNABB]." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gray_robert_isaac_dey_5E.html²
• Note: 1804; House of Assembly, Stormont Co., Upper Canada; "It was usual in Upper Canada for both the solicitor and the attorney general to hold seats in the House of Assembly and act as administration spokesmen. Gray was no exception. He was elected for the riding of Stormont in the election of 1796 and to the new riding of Stormont and Russell in 1800 and 1804." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gray_robert_isaac_dey_5E.html²
• Note: 1804; House of Assembly, Stormont Co., Upper Canada; "In 1804 he favoured the passage of the notorious Sedition Bill [see Robert Fleming Gourlay*]." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gray_robert_isaac_dey_5E.html²
• Note: January 1804; Albany, New York, U.S.A.; "In the winter of 1803-04, Robert I. D. Gray went to Albany. On his return he wrote a letter to his cousin, Mrs. Catherine Valentine, dated at Kingston. February 16. 1804, of which the following is an extract: "I saw some of our old friends while in the States. None was I more happy to meet than Lavine, Dorine's mother. Just as I was leaving Albany I heard from our cousin, Mrs. Garret Staats, who is living in Albany, that Lavine was living in a tavern with a man of the name of Bramley. I immediately employed a friend of mine (Mr. Ramsay, of Albany,) to negotiate with the man for the purchase of her. He did so, stating that I wished to buy her freedom, in consequence of which the man readily complied with my wishes, and although he declared she was worth to him, £100.0.0, he gave her to me for $50.00. When I saw her she was overjoyed, and appeared as happy as any person could be at the idea of seeing her child Dorine and her children once more, with whom, if Dorine wishes it, she will willingly spend the remainder of her days. I could not avoid doing this act; the opportunity seemed to have been thrown in my way by Providence, and I could not resist. She is a good servant yet, healthy and strong, and among you you may find her useful. I have promised her that she may work as much or as little as she pleases, while she lives ; but from the character I have of her, idleness is not her pleasure." Mr. Gray adds: "I saw old Cato, Lavine's father, at Newark, while I was at Colonel Ogden's. He is living with Mrs. Governeur, is well taken care of, and blind: poor fellow came to feel me, for he could not see. He asked affectionately after the family." Lavine came to Canada and lived for the remainder of her life in the family of Judge Anderson, near Cornwall." (Lunenburgh, or the Old Eastern District, page 319 & 320, Chapter XXXVI - John Baker, the last of those who were born in slavery in Canada.)
• Will*: 27 August 1804; York, York Co., Upper Canada; "Mr. Gray made his will on the 27th of August. 1804, the third paragraph of which is as follows: "I feel it a duty incumbent on me, in consequence of the long and faithful services of Dorine, mv black woman servant, rendered to my family, to release, manumit and discharge her from the state of slavery in which she now is, and to give her and all her children their freedom. My will therefore is, that she be released, and I hereby accordingly release, manumit and discharge the said Dorine, and all and every of her said children, both male and female, from slavery, and declare them and every of them to be free." The fourth clause is in these words: "And in order that provisions may be made for the said Dorine and her children, and that she may not want after my decease, my will is, and I hereby empower my executors, out of my real estate to raise the sum of twelve hundred pounds currency, and place the same in some solvent and secure fund, and the interest arising from the same I give and bequeath to the said Dorine, her heirs and assigns for ever, to be paid annually."" Lunenburgh or the Old Eastern District, Chapter XXXVI - JOHN BAKER, THE LAST OF THOSE WHO HAD BEEN BORN IN SLAVERY IX CANADA, Page 323 & 324
• Note: 8 October 1804; Upper Canada; "At his death Gray owned 12,000 acres of land and had debts of £1,200. By his will he freed the old family slave Dorinda (Dorine) Baker and left a trust of £1,200 to provide for her welfare. Earlier in the year on a trip to Albany, N.Y., he had purchased her mother Lavine for $50 and “promised her that she may work as much or as little as she pleases, while she lives.” He gave £50 and 200 acres each to Dorinda’s sons, John and Simon Baker. The remainder of his estate he divided among his relatives and friends including £20 to former Chief Justice John ELMSLEY “in token of my regard and esteem.” http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gray_robert_isaac_dey_5E.html²

Margaret Mary Beverley Robinson¹

• Father*: Sir John Beverly Robinson III¹ b. 2 Jun 1848, d. 11 Nov 1933
• Mother*: Margaret Jane MacDonell¹ b. 1849, d. 13 Feb 1875

• Birth*: 13 February 1875; Toronto, York Co., Ontario; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹
• Marriage*: 21 April 1896; Toronto, York Co., Ontario; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.; Principal=D'Alton Lally McCarthy¹
• Death*: 15 April 1943; Toronto, York Co., Ontario; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹

• Married Name: 21 April 1896; McCarthy¹

D'Alton Lally McCarthy¹

• Birth*: 5 December 1870; Barie, Simcoe Co., Ontario; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹
• Marriage*: 21 April 1896; Toronto, York Co., Ontario; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.; Principal=Margaret Mary Beverley Robinson¹
• Death*: 1963; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹

Hon. Samuel Smith¹

• Father*: James Smith b. 29 Jan 1733, d. 1810
• Mother*: Amy Searing b. c 1733, d. b 1772

• Birth*: 27 December 1754; Hampstead, Nassau Co., New York, U.S.A.; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹
• Marriage*: 21 October 1799; Upper Canada; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.; Principal=Jane Isabella Clarke¹
• Death*: 20 October 1826; York, York Co., Upper Canada; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹

Jane Isabella Clarke¹

• Birth*: 8 February 1779; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹
• Marriage*: 21 October 1799; Upper Canada; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.; Principal=Hon. Samuel Smith¹
• Death*: 20 September 1826; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹

• Married Name: 21 October 1799; Smith¹

Anne Eliza Smith¹

• Father*: Hon. Samuel Smith¹ b. 27 Dec 1754, d. 20 Oct 1826
• Mother*: Jane Isabella Clarke¹ b. 8 Feb 1779, d. 20 Sep 1826

• Birth*: 20 July 1801; Amherstburg, Essex Co., Upper Canada; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹
• Marriage*: circa 1831; Upper Canada; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.; Principal=William Henry Nelles¹
• Death*: 19 May 1884; Lincoln Co., Ontario; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹

• Married Name: circa 1831; Nelles¹

William Henry Nelles¹

• Birth*: 19 January 1798; Upper Canada; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹
• Marriage*: circa 1831; Upper Canada; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.; Principal=Anne Eliza Smith¹
• Death*: 10 March 1842; Grimsby, Canada West; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹

Alexander MacDonell^1,2

• Father*: Capt. Allan MacDonell² b. 1712, d. 1792
• Mother*: Helen MacNab² b. 1725

• Birth*: 16 April 1762; Fort Augustus, Inverness-shire, Scotland; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.²
• Marriage*: 8 January 1805; York, York Co., Upper Canada; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.; Principal=Anne Smith²
• Death*: 18 March 1842; Toronto, York Co., Canada West; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.²

Anne Smith¹

• Father*: James Smith¹ b. 29 Jan 1733, d. 1810
• Mother*: Anne Valentine¹ b. 1737, d. 3 Oct 1822

• Birth*: 7 April 1778; Hampstead, Long Island Co., New York, U.S.A.; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹
• Marriage*: 8 January 1805; York, York Co., Upper Canada; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.; Principal=Alexander MacDonell¹
• Death*: 14 December 1858; Toronto, York Co., Canada West; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹

• Married Name: 8 January 1805; MacDonell¹

James Smith¹

• Birth*: 29 January 1733; Hampstead, Long Island Co., New York, U.S.A.; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹
• Marriage*: 10 May 1753; Hampstead, Nassau Co., New York, U.S.A.; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.; Principal=Amy Searing¹
• Marriage*: 25 November 1772; Hempstead, Long Island Co., New York, U.S.A.; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.; Principal=Anne Valentine¹
• Death*: 1810; North Hempstead, Long Island Co., New York, U.S.A.; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹

Anne Valentine¹

• Father*: Jonathan Valentine¹ b. c 1700, d. c Dec 1768
• Mother*: Huldah Valentine¹ b. c 1700, d. 25 Mar 1782

• Birth*: 1737; Hampstead, Long Island Co., New York, U.S.A.; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹
• Marriage*: 25 November 1772; Hempstead, Long Island Co., New York, U.S.A.; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.; Principal=James Smith¹
• Death*: 3 October 1822; Hempstead, Long Island Co., New York, U.S.A.; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹

• Married Name: 25 November 1772; Smith¹

Jonathan Valentine¹

• Birth*: circa 1700; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹
• Marriage*: before 1730; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.; Principal=Huldah Valentine¹
• Death*: circa December 1768; Queens, Hempstead, Nassau Co., New York, U.S.A.; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹

Huldah Valentine¹

• Birth*: circa 1700; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹
• Marriage*: before 1730; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.; Principal=Jonathan Valentine¹
• Death*: 25 March 1782; Hampstead, New York, U.S.A.; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹

Amy Searing¹

• Birth*: circa 1733; Hampstead, Nassau Co., New York, U.S.A.; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹
• Marriage*: 10 May 1753; Hampstead, Nassau Co., New York, U.S.A.; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.; Principal=James Smith¹
• Death*: before 1772; Hempstead, Nassau Co., New York, U.S.A.; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹

• Married Name: 10 May 1753; Smith¹

Elizabeth Smith¹

• Father*: James Smith¹ b. 29 Jan 1733, d. 1810
• Mother*: Amy Searing¹ b. c 1733, d. b 1772

• Birth*: 1763; Hempstead, Long Island, New York, U.S.A.; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹
• Marriage*: 6 May 1780; Hempstead, Long Island, New York, U..A.; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.; Principal=Stephen Cornell¹
• Death*: 14 October 1805; Hempstead, Long Island, New York, U.S.A.; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹

• Married Name: 6 May 1780; Cornell¹

Stephen Cornell¹

• Birth*: 15 April 1759; Hempstead, Nassau Co., New York, U.S.A.; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹
• Marriage*: 6 May 1780; Hempstead, Long Island, New York, U..A.; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.; Principal=Elizabeth Smith¹
• Death*: 14 January 1833; Long Isand City, New York, U.S.A.; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹

Capt. Allan MacDonell¹

• Birth*: 1712; Collachie, Scotland; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹
• Marriage*: 1757; Scotland; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.; Principal=Helen MacNab¹
• Death*: 1792; St. Raphaels, Stormont Co., Upper Canada; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹

• Note*: January 1776; New York, U.S.A.; After the outbreak of the American revolution the Highlanders remained loyal to the crown and in January 1776 Major-General Philip John Schuyler took Allan McDonell and five other leaders hostage to ensure the neutrality of Sir John Johnson* and his Highland tenants."
  http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/macdonell_angus_5E.html²
• Residence*: May 1779; Quebec; "Old Collachie escaped in May 1779 and by August he had reached the province of Quebec where he resided, first at Yamachiche and then at Quebec, until his death in 1792." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/macdonell_angus_5E.html²

Helen MacNab¹

• Birth*: 1725; MacNab Castle, Scotland; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹
• Marriage*: 1757; Scotland; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.; Principal=Capt. Allan MacDonell¹

• Married Name: 1757; MacDonell¹

Angus MacDonell¹

• Father*: Capt. Allan MacDonell¹ b. 1712, d. 1792
• Mother*: Helen MacNab¹ b. 1725

• Birth*: circa 1758; Leek, Inverness, Scotland; per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.¹
• Death*: 8 October 1804; Lake Ontario, Newcastle, Newcastle Dist., Upper Canada; "In October 1804, on his way to defend an Indian charged with murder, Macdonell perished with Gray when the schooner Speedy sank in a gale off Brighton"
  http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/macdonell_angus_5E.html
  "Drowned on the sailing vessel "Speedy" while crossing Lake Ontario from York to Newcastle at Presqu'ile Point. He was representing a native in a murder and the trial had to be held at the place of the crime. He was unmarried and a Lawyer by profession." per family tree of mary schaede on ancestry.ca, Jan 13 2019.
  Note: Date Oct 7 1804 in Mary's tree but the 7th was when they sailed; the actual loss of the Speedy happened late on October 8th, off Presqu'ile Point.^1,2

• Residence*: 1773; Johnstown, New York, U.S.A.; "In 1773 the Collachie family was part of an emigration of about 600 Highlanders from the lands of the Clan MacDonell of Glengarry to Sir William Johnson*’s estate in the Mohawk valley of New York." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/macdonell_angus_5E.html²
• Residence: January 1776; Montreal, Quebec; "After the outbreak of the American revolution the Highlanders remained loyal to the crown and in January 1776 Major-General Philip John Schuyler took Allan McDonell and five other leaders hostage to ensure the neutrality of Sir John Johnson* and his Highland tenants. Fearing arrest by the rebels, Johnson struck out for Montreal, Que., early in the summer with about 130 Highlanders and 120 others. Old Collachie escaped in May 1779 and by August he had reached the province of Quebec where he resided, first at Yamachiche and then at Quebec, until his death in 1792." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/macdonell_angus_5E.html²
• Residence: November 1788; Montreal, Quebec; "Unlike his brother Alexander, Angus Macdonell does not seem to have served in a loyalist corps during the revolution. Nor was he living with his father at Quebec at the end of the war. He did, however, spend a few years about this time in Montreal and Quebec where he gained a seminary education and acquired a sound grasp of the French language. In June 1785 he was at Quebec where he had been jailed for debt. After his release Macdonell began experimenting with a new method of manufacturing pot and pearl ash and in November 1788 he applied for a patent. In April 1791 the province of Quebec passed an act which granted exclusive patent privileges to him, his brothers James and Alexander, and Christopher Carter, as well as to Samuel Hopkins, a rival inventor who also had devised an improved process. That same year Macdonell and Hopkins became partners and attempted, it appears, to market their product." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/macdonell_angus_5E.html²
• Note*: 1792; Upper Canada; "The Collachie family’s proven loyalty and young Macdonell’s ability as a chemist apparently came to the attention of the lieutenant governor of Upper Canada, John Graves SIMCOE. Informed by the Lower Canadian deputy surveyor general, John Collins, of salt springs in Upper Canada, in 1792 Simcoe commissioned Macdonell and William Chewett* to explore the area around the Bay of Quinte and the Niagara peninsula for sites and to analyse their quality. Macdonell reported a major location on the Fifteen Mile Creek in the Niagara region and Simcoe immediately set him to work establishing a project to produce salt there for general consumption. Delays occurred in securing supplies and provisioning labourers but Macdonell, now superintendent of the works, plunged ahead, spending large sums. After three years in operation the project had
  produced a disappointing 450 barrels. Having declared that he was “determined to stand or fall” by the works, Macdonell was removed in 1796 and replaced by the local Church of England clergyman, Robert Addison*. Macdonell’s other government duties, it seems, had prevented him from providing effective management." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/macdonell_angus_5E.html²
• Residence: 12 December 1792; York, York Co., Upper Canada; "As first clerk of the House of Assembly – he had been appointed on 12 Dec. 1792 – Macdonell administered the oaths to members, recorded the business of the house, and provided for the printing of its journals and statutes." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/macdonell_angus_5E.html²
• Residence: 29 October 1794; York, York Co., Upper Canada; "In spite of frequent tardiness in performing his duties, which exasperated Simcoe’s secretary, Edward Baker Littlehales, on 29 Oct. 1794 the lieutenant governor named Macdonell secretary to the Upper Canadian commissioners – Richard CARTWRIGHT, John MCDONELL (Aberchalder), and John Munro – who had been appointed to negotiate a revenue-sharing agreement about customs duties with their Lower Canadian counterparts." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/macdonell_angus_5E.html²
• Note: 24 June 1800; York, York Co., Upper Canada; The first election was held in the colonnade between the two wings of the Government Buildings on July 24 and 25, 1800. Candidates for whom votes were cast were Henry Allcock, Samuel Heron, John Small, and William Jarvis, with the first two outdistancing their opponents. On the second day there was a disturbance at the hustings, involving “a drunken fellow,” some soldiers, and the turbulent Willcocks-Weekes faction who were supporting Allcock; the Riot Act was read, and the polls were closed with Allcock two votes ahead (F 7). Samuel Heron and others petitioned against his election on the grounds that “very unwarrantable steps had been taken by the friends of Mr. Allcock to procure him to be returned” (F 11). The House of Assembly declared the election void in June, 1801, Allcock’s only defence being to challenge the authority of the House to arbitrate in the matter. For this forbearance he was spoken to severely by Weekes, who seems to have been extremely active in the whole affair (H 15).
  The by-election that followed was something of an anti-climax. There were two candidates only, John Small, who was now supported by Joseph Willcocks, and Angus McDonell, who had supported Heron in 1800, and had been dismissed from his government job through the agency of Allcock. McDonell won easily, and pursued an independent course in the House of Assembly." from The Town of York 1793-1815, Introduction, F. Political Ferment, page lxvi.³
• Note: 24 July 1800; York, York Co., Upper Canada; "F7 An Impartial Bystander’s Account of the Election [Niagara, Niagara Herald, March 14, 1801]; York, July 24th, 1800; The returning officer opened the poll at 10 o’clock A.M. The candidates for the representation, were, the Hon. Henry Alcock, Wm. Jarvis, John Small, John Wilcox, esqrs. and messrs. George Playter, and Samuel Heron. Messrs. Wilcox and Playter resigned their pretensions in the presence of the electors, whom Mr. Playter addressed in a short harrangue. It was agreed by the candidates to poll by tens, in the following order: first Judge Alcock, then messrs. Jarvis, Small and Heron in succession. The poll was adjourned this day at 2 o’clock P.M. and on the 25th opened at 10 A.M. The votes at 11 o’clock stood thus:—for Judge Alcock 30, Mr. Heron 30, Mr. Small 21, and Mr. Jarvis 17. The voters at this time appeared to be growing scarce, except those for Mr. Heron, who were pressing forward by threes and fours. Mr. Weeks, who was Judge Alcock’s advocate on the occasion, interrogated all the opposite voters in a manner which the people conceived rude and insulting. Mr. Angus McDonell acted the part of advocate also.— His interrogatories were general, but in that mild way which characterises the man:—perhaps his fee was smaller; for the eloquence of Mr. Weeks seemed invariably to prevail:—It was of the kind to draw the following answers from some of them: “if their lands were not paid for they would bestow them on the tinker; and that his tongue was rather too long.” Capt. Van Hain had been previously dispatched to collect the German settlers of Markham, to whom plenty of favorite cheer had been sent—no less than bread and rum.—Messrs. Weeks and Wilcox Jun. paid them a visit on the evening of the 24th and solicited their votes for Mr. Alcock, who, it was held out to them, would make the merchants sell cheaper if he was elected:—they enquired if there were other candidates, and were informed that Messrs. Small and Jarvis were the only ones. They were also informed that Mr. Alcock would purchase whatever they might in future bring to market. On the morning of the 25th there was a letter dispatched from Mr. Alcock to Capt. Van Hain, desiring him to lead his friends to the place of election; and not to allow them to be spoken to till they arrived in town: however, the precaution was ineffectual, and when there the majority declared they would vote for Mr. Heron. Mr. Jarvis appeared discouraged, and told some of his friends that they were at liberty to vote for Mr. Alcock. At this time a body of soldiers were approaching the hustings, who it was supposed would have voted for Mr. Alcock:—A drunken fellow, who observed them, raised the hue and cry, and swore that no soldiers had a right to vote there;— his turbulence was noticed by the magistrates present, who commanded the peace, and ordered the man into custody. It is said that Mr. Wilcox, Jun. went to the man, shook his fists at him, and menaced him with the jail. The man, when in custody of the constables, promised to be peacable; some of the people ran to him, rescued him from the constables, and one of them, armed with a cudgel, threatened to knock Wm. Allan esq. down if he interposed. “Turn out [ms illegible] this is [ms illegible] was [ms illegible] tered by several; and at this moment of confusion Capt. Paxton and Wm. Jarvis esq. gave their votes for Mr. Alcock. The poll had been, at the beginning of these appearances, adjourned to the ensuing day. Mr. Weeks, seeing that mr. Alcock had at this juncture a majority, insisted that the poll should be closed, in which he was joined by Mr. Alcock and the returning officer, seemingly intimidated and bewildered, complied, after having but a moment before adjourned it. The other candidates, except mr. Heron, were struck silent with this inconsistency, he made a verbal protest against it as being illegal:—Mr. Weeks bellowed out, “give him law Mr. Alcock!”—Mr. M’Donell argued that it was improper, and Mr. Alcock told him he ought not to come forward as an advocate on that business. The riot act was then read by Wm. Wilcox, esq. and the people voluntarily dispersed. Mr. Weeks, who had recovered from his apparent consternation, congratulated his friends on the success of the manoeuvre.—Junior printer and he had [line illegible] the occasion, “this is the way we manage elections; if we cannot do it in one way we can in another.” The people, conceiving their rights had been infringed, were highly dissatisfied; and a petition, signed by ninety-eight freeholders who had not voted, was presented to his excellency the governor.—It was handed in on the 25th at the hour of 5 P.M.—They were desired to call the ensuing day for an answer. Mr. Geo. Playter and capt. B. Wilson accordingly waited on his excellency at the appointed time, when they were informed that it was out of his power to order a new election, but referred them to the house of assembly, and recommended to them to take every regular step, and the grievance should be redressed—and assured them that nothing should be wanting on his part to see the inhabitants righted. This news gave new spirits to the people, who were so much affected by the illegal proceedings of some on the day before, that the generality of them declared their intentions of quitting the country. An impartial Bystander." from The Town of York 1793-1815, page 163-165.³
• Note: 26 July 1800; York, York Co., Upper Canada; "F8 The Upper Canada Gazette's Account of the Election [York, Upper Canada Gazette, July 26, 1800]; The poll for the Election of a Member to serve in parliament for the East Riding of the County of York, was closed yesterday, when Henry alcock. Esq. was declared to be duly elected.—The election terminated sooner than was expected, by consequence of a daring Riot instigated by persons inimical to Peace and good Order, and to the pure exercise of that valuable privilege of the subject—the elective franchise. After the Returning Officer closed the poll, conformably to precedents established in such cases—he called upon the Magistrates to check any further outrage, and by their spirited exertions tranquillity was in the course of the evening restored. It was a matter of much regret to a large majority of those who were sensible of the advantages to be derived from the election of a character, distinguished for talents and virtue, that they were prevented, (by the acts of the riotous and disorderly) from enrolling themselves among the number of independant electors who supported Mr. Alcock—they have, however, in common with the public, to rejoice that the majority of the poll, has secured to the country his services, and enabled them to look with confidence, to a faithful and an independant representative. We hear that every legal measure is resorted to, to bring the rioters to exemplary punishment." from The Town of York 1793-1815, page 165.³
• Note: 30 May 1801; York, York Co., Upper Canada; "Late 1798 saw the arrival at York (Toronto) of French royalist émigrés, led by Joseph-Geneviève Puisaye, Comte de Puisaye, who were on their way to establish a military settlement at Windham, a few miles north of York. In 1799 Administrator Peter Russell made Macdonell his French secretary, instructing him to act as the settlement’s agent. It appears that Macdonell exceeded his authority, and charges were laid
  against him by Puisaye. The Executive Council examined the matter in September 1800 and determined that Macdonell had engaged in unauthorized transactions in Indian land. It concluded that “he is unworthy of any favour from the Executive Government and unfit to hold any situation under it,” and Macdonell was dismissed as clerk on 30 May 1801. He petitioned the assembly, which passed a resolution stating that he had not been dismissed for any irregularity in his conduct as clerk and which awarded him £300, this being the salary unpaid for two years." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/macdonell_angus_5E.html²
• Note: June 1801; York, York Co., Upper Canada; "Excluded from government preferment, Macdonell embarked almost immediately upon a political career. He served as Samuel HERON’s scrutineer during the election of 1800 in Durham, Simcoe, and the East Riding of York. A newspaper account noted that his “interrogatories were general, but in that mild way which characterises the man.” Thereafter he appeared in the House of Assembly as counsel for a group of York
  petitioners complaining that judge Henry ALLCOCK’s agent, William WEEKES, had used improper measures to secure Allcock’s election. Allcock was consequently unseated by the house and, in a by-election called in June 1801, Macdonell defeated John Small*, clerk of the Executive Council, by 112 to 32 votes. In the election of June 1804 Macdonell campaigned successfully against Weekes and former surveyor general David
  William Smith. In his election address he was particularly concerned to discredit a rumour that his assessment legislation of 1803 had increased the general rates within the Home District. He claimed that he had always favoured a shifting of the public burden “from the shoulders of the Industrious Farmers and Mechanics, upon those of the more opulent Classes of the Community.” http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/macdonell_angus_5E.html²
• Note: 10 June 1801; York, York Co., Upper Canada; "F0 Proceedings of the House of Assembly [Niagara, Niagara Herald, June 13, 1801]; June 10; The house spent this day on the petition of Samuel Heron and others. The petition being read, Angus M’Donnell, esq. counsel for the petitioners, opened the business with a short statement of the grounds of complaint, and called nine witnesses only to establish the points. The day being wholly spent in examination on this part, Mr. Alcock was requested to produce his witnesses on to-morrow—and adjourned. (The testimony was very clear that persons voted who had no right to vote: that the poll adjourned until next day, then took two votes, one of which was without the knowledge of the voter, which gave together a majority of 2 to Mr. Alcock, then closed, while from 50 to 100 were waiting to vote,and were thereby deprived of an opportunity, with other unfair measures, by which Mr. Alcock was procured to be returned as the member.)" from the Town of York 1793-1815, page 167.³
• Note: 11 June 1801; York, York Co., Upper Canada; "June 11.; Mr. Alcock not producing any testimony on his part, the house, without debate, nem. con. declared that Henry Alcock esq. is not duly elected, and that the speaker issue out a warrants to the proper officer for a new election in the east riding of York, and the counties of Simcoe & Durham.
  (For singularity of unfairness this election is scarcely to be equalled. —The testimony was lengthy from so many persons, repeating almost the same thing in substance as above. . . .)" from The Townb of York 1793-1815, page 167.³
• Note: 3 July 1801; York, York Co., Upper Canada; "F12 Election Results, 1801 [York, Upper Canada Gazette, July 4, 1801]; Last Friday at the final close of the Poll, for a Member to represent the county of Durham, East riding of the county of York, and the county of Simcoe, in the present Parliament of this Province, Angus M’Donell, Esq; was declared duly elected; there appearing for him 112 unquestionable votes, and for J. Small, Esq; 32—Majority 80." from The Town of York 1793-1801, page 168 & 169.³
• Note: circa 1803; York, York Co., Upper Canada; "During his brief years in the assembly, Macdonell was among its most energetic, productive, able, and independent members. He initiated legislation, not always successfully, to encourage the cultivation and export of hemp, to better secure land title, to establish a Court of Chancery, and to reform the fee schedules of attorneys. He was responsible for the Assessment Act of 1803 which attempted to provide more equal rates. He championed the rights and prerogatives of the assembly and in 1803 he attained a degree of notoriety for his effort to have David Burns, clerk of the crown and pleas, held in contempt of parliament for his attempt to avoid questioning on the matter of fee schedules, a favourite target of Macdonell’s. His most frequent associates in the assembly were David McGregor Rogers, Ralfe Clench, and Robert Nelles." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/macdonell_angus_5E.html
• Note: 16 February 1804; York, York Co., Upper Canada; "In spite of family ties Macdonell rarely worked with, or supported, the parliamentary efforts of his brother Alexander, but on one occasion, 16 Feb. 1804, the brothers joined ranks in an unsuccessful move to provide for public schools in certain parts of the province. Their initiatives were a direct response to a petition of the magistrates and leading Presbyterians of Glengarry County, including John McDonell (Aberchalder)
  and John BETHUNE, urging the erection of public schools in central places. The petitioners were concerned that the Highlanders were “accustomed to hear the beauties of Christianity inculcated in their mother tongue [and] . . . supposed that an English education was unnecessary.” The “few schools found among them here . . . are fluctuating and of little value,” the petitioners claimed, forecasting that the
  establishment of public schools would be a measure of “great utility, both in a political and moral view, to the rising generation . . . [to] speedily counteract the effect of an improper bias.” http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/macdonell_angus_5E.html²
• Note: circa May 1804; York, York Co., Upper Canada; " .... Simcoe christened his town site York. This was after the Duke of York, later Commander in Chief of the army, in keeping with Simcoe's policy of substituting English for Indian place names. Apparently the name did not have the unanimous approval of York's early citizens. In 1804 Angus McDonell, the member for York, requested leave to bring before the House of Assembly a bill to restore the name Toronto, because it was "more familiar and agreeable to the inhabitants." He did not, however, proceed further in the matter. The Ridout family also preferred the old name, Toronto, and used it firmly in correspondence. York remained the name of the town, however, until its incorporation as the city of Toronto in 1834." from The Town of York 1793-1815, Introduction, page xxxiv.³
• Note: 5 May 1804; York, York Co., Upper Canada; "F13 Angus McDonell’s Election Address [York, Upper Canada Gazette, May 5, 1804]; To the Worthy Inhabitants of the East Riding of the County of York, and Counties of Durham and Simcoe. Friends & Fellow Subjects, In addressing you by Apellations unusual, I believe, on similar occasions, no affectation of singularity has dictated the Innovation; my Terms flow from a more dignified Principle, a purer source of Ideas, from a sentiment of liberal and extensive Affection, which embraces and contemplates not only such of you as by Law are qualified to vote, but also such as a contracted and short sighted Policy has restrained from the immediate enjoyment of that Privilege. Your Interests inseparably the same, and alike dear and interesting to me, have always been equally my care; and your Good Will shall indiscriminately be gratifying, whether accompanied with the Ability of advancing my present Pursuit, or confined to the wishes of my succeeding in it.
  The anxious anticipation of Events which has engaged so many Persons into such early struggles to supplant me, forces me also, to anticipate the Dissolution of Parliament, in declaring my disposition to continue, (if supported by my Friends, at the next General Election,) in that Situation which I have now the honor of filling in Parliament; a Situation, which the great Majority of suffrages which places me in it, justifies the honest Pride of supposing, was not obtained without Merit, and inspires the rational confidence of presuming, will not be lost without a Fault.
  I stoop with Reluctance, Gentlemen, to animadvert upon some puny Fabrications, circulated to mislead your Judgment, and alienate your Favour. It has been said, that I am Canvassing for a Seat elsewhere; No, Gentlemen, the Satisfaction, the Pride of Representing that Division of this Province, which, comprehending the Capital, is consequently, the Political Head, is to me, too captivating an Object of Patriotic Ambition, to suffer the view of it to be intercepted in my Imagination for a moment, by the prospect of any inferior Representation; be assured, therefore, Gentlemen, that I shall not forsake my Post, until You or Life shall have forsaken me.
  Another Calumny of a darker hue, has been fabricated. I have been represented as inimical to the repeal of the Provincial Statute which restrains many worthy Persons migrating into this Province from voting at Elections, under a residence of Seven Years: A more insidious, a more barefaced falsehood, never issued from the lips of Malice; for, during every Session of my sitting in Parliament, I have been the warmest, the loudest Advocate for repealing that Statute, and for rendering Taxation and Representation reciprocal.
  I shall notice a third expedient, in attempting which, Detraction (by resort to an Imposture so gross as to carry its own refutation upon the very face of it,) has effectually avowed its own Impotency:—It has been whispered, that I have endeavoured to encrease the general Rate of Assessments within the Home District. Wretched misrepresentation! I should have been my own Enemy indeed, if I had lent myself to such a measure. On the contrary, my Maxim has always been, and shall ever continue to be, that so much of the Public Burthen as possible, should be shifted from the shoulders of the Industrious Farmers and Mechanics, upon those of the more opulent Classes of Community; Persons with large Salaries and lucrative Employments: the shallow artifice of these exploded Fibs, suggests this natural reflection, that Slander could find no real foundation to build upon, when reduced to the necessity of rearing its Fabricks upon Visions.
  To conclude, Gentlemen, I have no Interest separate from yours—no Country but that which we inhabit in common.—In all situations, under all circumstances, I have been the Friend of the People, and the Votary of their Rights.—I have never changed with the Times, nor shifted sides with the Occasion, and you may therefore reasonably confide that I shall always be, Gentlemen, Your Most Devoted, And Most Attached Servant, A: Macdonnell." from Th eTown of York 1793-1815, page 169 & 170.³
• Note: June 1804; York, York Co., Upper Canada; "In the general election of June, 1804, McDonell had the advantage of being the sitting member, and appealed to his constituents with a popular platform of reciprocal taxation and representation, and the shifting of the burdens of taxation from the “Industrious Farmers and Mechanics” to the “more opulent classes” (F 13). His opponents were William Weekes who appealed to those “who may be inclined to think with freedom, and to act with independency,”1 and D. W. Smith, who had returned to England in 1802. Both these candidates were operating under a disadvantage. After the election Weekes claimed that his election address was not published in the Gazette because of government influence, a charge denied by the printer.2 D. W. Smith’s campaign was seriously hampered by his absence; his friends placed more and more plaintive promises of his imminent arrival in the Gazette,3 but the handicap was too great. McDonell was again returned but sat for one session only before he was drowned in the loss of the Speedy inb October, 1804." from The Town of York 1793-1815, Introduction, F. Poliitcal Ferment, page lxvi & lxvii.³
• Note: before 8 October 1804; York, York Co., Upper Canada; "One of the most important facets of Macdonell’s career – his legal practice – is the least known. A prominent York lawyer, he was admitted as an attorney on 7 July 1794 and became a barrister in Trinity term 1797. He was a founding member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and succeeded Robert Isaac Dey GRAY as treasurer in Easter Term 1801. In October 1804, on his way to defend an Indian charged with murder, Macdonell perished with Gray when the schooner Speedy sank in a gale off Brighton. Angus Macdonell died a freemason without a strong attachment to the Catholic Church of his forefathers. An unaccomplished poet, he had distinct ability in law and politics, which was undermined by his procrastination, irascibility, and occasional indolence." http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/macdonell_angus_5E.html²